The present disclosure relates to a lint roller. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a lint roller including a leading edge containing a low adhesion zone.
Lint removal tape is used on a roll to remove lint and other small particles from surfaces such as fabric, carpeting, furniture, etc. The tape is removed from the roll only after use, to discard it. In roll form, lint removal tape typically has the adhesive side of the tape wound outwardly for use. A roll of lint removal tape is generally used on an applicator.
Rolls of tape are often perforated for easier removal of individual sheets. FIG. 1 shows a conventional roll of lint tape 1, wherein each sheet includes a separation line 2 to allow for easy removal of the sheet. As shown by FIG. 1, the tape may include edges not coated with adhesive that will create a small tab for grasping the outer most sheet during removal. FIG. 2 shows a tape construction where each line of perforations 2 advances with each additional wrap of tape to create sheets having progressively increasing lengths. When the sheets are wound into a roll, each sheet is longer than the sheet underneath it by an overlap length.
In use, the tape roll is rolled back and forth over a surface to remove loose particles of lint and other debris. The debris clings to the exposed adhesive of the top sheet of the tape roll, which is then removed and discarded, revealing a fresh tape sheet for the next use. In use, the sheets should not separate or unwind from the roll, yet the sheets must be easily removable from the roll when discarding. When such a tape roll is used to clean a smooth or flat surface, it often fails because the tape sticks aggressively to the surface and unwinds from the roll. This failure is referred to as “lanemarking.”
A variety of methods have been used to minimize lanemarking. The adhesive used on the tape could be made less sticky. The backing used may be highly structured, so that during use on a flat surface, the adhesive contacts the flat surface at fewer points. However, a less sticky adhesive and/or decreased contact with the surface being cleaned may harm the roller's ability to pick up and retain lint and debris. Another option is to select a release coating (on the back side of the tape sheet) that adheres more strongly to the adhesive. However, the sheets become difficult to remove when trying to expose a clean sheet. Tape wound in a spiral pattern minimizes lanemarking because only a small corner of the lint tape is lifted to start removing a sheet. However, for these rollers each spiral-wound sheet does not fully cover the underlying sheet. Therefore, when a used, dirty sheet is removed from the spiral wound roller, a pattern of dirt is still exposed on the underlying sheet. Lanemarking can be minimized by mechanical means. However, these systems are inconvenient.